The New Georgia Aquarium

We were fortunate today to be among the first 60,000 visitors to the new Georgia Aquarium in downtown Atlanta. What a fabulous attraction. You could easily spend the afternoon just gazing at the main tank, which is enormous. and watching the variety of fish that it houses, including the two whale sharks, Ralph and Norton.

The smaller exhibits were also amazing -the five beluga whales, the jellyfish, the penguins. We will certainly return - probably when the hectic crowds of the opening have passed. It would be wonderful to sit quietly, alone, and just watch.

After walking about two miles inside the aquarium, we headed for home. Here I found that the Christmas arrangement on the mantle had finally died. Yes, Christmas. Because I take photographs for the website well ahead of the holiday, our house is usually decorated by unseasonal designs and often by left over flowers and foliage in vases.

So in keeping with this new habit, I suppose I should start on the New Year's Day design, or perhaps even Valentine's day, just to stay ahead. Would it be too early to start on Easter? Yes, I think so.

Tomorrow, just for us, I think I will build a mantlepiece design. I can take advantage of the newly reddened holly berries, and the white pine sprays I cut from the neighbor's trees so that we can see to safely leave our driveway. I set aside some particularly attractive pine cones and some lower branches of the magnolia are now large enough to trim. These simple ingredients may be enough, along with a few white candles on brass candlesticks, to dress the mantle for the real holiday to come.